Real estate lead gen strategies for the sick-of-cold-calling agent

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There comes a time in many small business owner’s lives when we hit a wall.

We think it probably happens more often to those folks who cold call to drum up business. Dialing for dollars is not only boring, it’s stressful.

Hey, if cold calling is working for you and it doesn’t bother you, don’t let us dissuade you. But for agents who are sick of the cold-call grind and want to switch it up (even if only for a while), we have a few alternative real estate lead gen strategies for you to try.

No, these real estate lead gen strategies aren’t groundbreaking. Heck, they aren’t even unconventional. But they are alternatives to picking up the phone to call someone you don’t know who probably doesn’t want to hear from you.

Better yet, some are even fun.

Dabble in divorcee real estate

OK, so this one isn’t fun (we’re saving those for last). It can be lucrative, however, and a much quicker lead generator than cold calling.

We went into this topic in detail back in December (find it here), but here’s a quick overview of what it takes to generate divorce listings.

If you like to gawk at train wrecks, are fascinated by other people’s problems and love a challenge this is the real estate niche for you.

You’ll need to be an ace communicator, work well under pressure, have the ability to remain impartial and posses an overabundance of tact and patience.

Rounding up the leads requires good, old fashioned real estate chops. Buying a list is probably the best way to hit the ground running, but there are other ways of finding divorcing couples.

Consider emailing local divorce attorneys asking for referrals. In some states, such as California, an attorney referral helps you avoid wasting time and resources trolling for clients while they’re under an Automatic Temporary Restraining Order (and not allowed to sell the home).

Or, consider running ads on Facebook or Google to drum up divorce real estate leads. Check out Tyler Zey’s examples here.

Death and real estate

Transform your mild-mannered, generalist real estate self into a probate real estate expert and rake in the bucks.

There is a learning curve to this niche, but one that is well worth it for the tenacious. I mean, how many probate agents are there in your town? It’s the learning curve required that makes this a wide-open niche.

Several companies offer classes and certifications. We’re not familiar with them so we can’t vouch for them, but here are a few we found:

• REWW Academy
• MTI Education
• Local Realtor® associations sometimes offer probate classes

Probate leads, like divorce leads, can come from a number of sources. These include:

• Buying them (ReboGateway is one company that investors talk a lot about, but there are others)
• Striking up referral relationships with probate attorneys. Investors claim this is a waste of time. One probate attorney online, however, begs to differ:

“I am a probate attorney (in Atlanta), and I refer to a few trusted realtors all the time- probably 1-2 sales per month.” He goes on to give a recipe for how to build a relationship with his colleagues.

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“It’s all about relationships.  Letters sent to me without an invitation to meet and form a relationship do absolutely get thrown in the trash all the time.”

Scouring court records is time consuming yet fruitful. PublicRecordCenter.com will let you know, with links if they exist, which counties in the country have online records. Otherwise, you’ll need to talk to the county clerk to find out how to access probate records.

Real estate marketing to absentee owners

This one is so easy, IF you plan on being consistent and persistent. The best way to go after these leads is by implementing and sticking to a direct mail campaign. Start it with a market update. This is valuable information for people who own investment property.

Then, follow up consistently with other valuable info. Send Just Listed/Sold postcards to show the absentee owner that there is real estate activity going on in the neighborhood. Send additional market updates monthly or quarterly. Snap a photo of the property and attach it to your market reports.

Get additional tips on real estate lead gen strategies for absentee owners here.

Farming by mail (with a little digital pizzazz thrown in)

Farming is a brilliant way to build name recognition, authority and a lead funnel. And, it doesn’t require picking up the phone.

Direct mail is your best friend when you farm and items to send run the gamut from postcards and letters to newsletters and market updates.

But, don’t stop with the direct mail campaign. Reinforce it with a digital backup, such as area-specific websites and Facebook pages.

Check out the benefits of this program with Tyler’s video “How to Rank on Google for Real Estate Neighborhoods You’re Farming.”

Social media real estate lead gen strategies

Use the time you spent cold calling to become fully engaged on Facebook, LinkedIn and any other social media platforms you use.

Write or curate content that is share-worthy, respond to comments, comment on other’s posts. Get ideas in our post “49 Facebook Posts for Real Estate Professionals,” read “Tips for a Stronger Facebook Presence” and learn why you should be rocking LinkedIn.

Ride the coattails of community events

Most larger cities and a multitude of smaller ones are home to a couple of community events each year. These are perfect real estate lead generation opportunities that don’t require picking up the phone or a lot of money.

Sure, you can hold your own event, by why not let someone else do the heavy lifting while you step in as a vendor?

Fun runs are typically well-attended and the organizers welcome volunteers and vendors. Rent a pop-up tent or canopy to provide welcome shade to runners/walkers and call it Sally Agent’s Beverage Station, or something like that.

As the participants stop by, hand them a branded bottle of water and a real estate brochure or something similar.

Or, consider sponsoring a local kids’ sports team. Offer to provide half-time snacks or jerseys in exchange for your banner being provided a prominent spot at games. The parents of these kids are more likely to be potential clients than some random person you might get to speak to on a cold call.

None of these real estate lead gen strategies will make you an overnight sensation. But choose one or two and vow to give it your all—to be consistent and persistent — for the rest of 2019 and you may just find you’ll never need to make another cold call.

STOP COLDCALLING! (Video Course)

This FREE video course will show you step-by-step how to get clients from Facebook without cold-calling.

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Looking for more lead gen ideas? Here are 53 ways to generate leads (and a secret lead gen tip you can’t afford to miss!)